Somewhere a Clock is Ticking
by BrokenShardss
Summary: My version of Dean going to hell, and what comes after... with Faith included. Spoilers for SPN 3x16


He looked at her and blinked, once, twice, trying to erase the image. "Your face."

She cocked a confused eyebrow and smirked at him. "Don't worry, this won't be the last time you see it, okay?"

He shook his head. "No, it just..." He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he saw the demon inside, just like he kept it hidden from Sammy.

Her sweet laughter echoed in the dark. "It's the demon in me, huh? It's all part of the slayer cocktail, Dean."

Something inside him told him it was more than that. His Faith was more good than bad; she shouldn't look that way. But then again, neither should Sam.

Her hand slid across his jacket covered arm and she slipped him a brief smile before going into the once-Lilith-controlled house.

The clock tolled, the howls started to come to a crescendo, and it was all there. He watched as she scrambled to shut the doors and salt the room, all the while dying to take her into his arms and never let go. Sammy was right by his side, the fear coming off him in waves. But not her, she wasn't scared.

Faith came up to him, a soft smile gracing her hard features. She was being strong, keeping those walls up. He couldn't take that from her. She ran her fingers through his hair and ever so gently placed a kiss on his lips.

Something was wrong. Not just the growling and rattling, but something deeper. He chalked it up to his new senses, but he just knew that it wasn't his girl anymore. Her heart sounded hollow, and not just in the 'I've murdered people' kind of way. He shoved her back, ignoring Sam's questioning glare. "You're not Faith."

She frowned at him before letting her eyes wash over with whiteness. "And I was just about to have my fun."

He grabbed her, the only fear in his veins suddenly became solely for Faith. "Where is she?!" He couldn't leave now, not without her safe. She could fight anything; he had counted on that, but not this. He needed to know she would be alright.

"Oh, sweetie, I know you had wanted her here for this. To be honest, I wanted to see the poor slayer watch you get ripped to shreds too. Might've been enough to send her back to our side." She smiled malevolently, and it was nothing like Faith.

"I swear to God, if you hurt her--" He clenched his hands into fists.

"You'll what, bleed on me? Really now, Dean, this is no time to have a temper."

The hounds were getting restless, he knew they were. "Is she still in there?"

She scanned the ceiling, taking a moment to think. "Maybe. She's a fighter, this girl. But I have a feeling she won't last much longer."

On the other side of the room, Sam clutched the knife tighter in his hands.

Lilith grinned through Faith's bright red lips. "Now I was gonna let the hellhounds have their way with you, but it's so much more fun when I give you a choice, don't you think?"

Dean shot her an incredulous look. "A choice?"

"Well, from what I hear you've been dying to kill me." She turned to Sam. "Here's your chance." She glanced down at the knife and smiled. "Come on, Sammy. Kill me, save your brother! It'll only cost you one measly life." Her smile was now directed at Dean. "You remember what happened the last time you tried to save one little girl?"

"Don't do it, Sam." He didn't want to die, but he'd die ten times over to save Faith.

"Oh, come on, Sammy! She's probably going to die anyways. She'd want you to save your brother, wouldn't she?" She felt Dean's movement toward her and raised a hand, pinning him to the table. "They'll rip him apart, bit by painful bit. I'm giving you a chance to end everything."

Sam closed his eyes, trying to block out the image of Faith standing in front of him. She sounded the same, looked the same, and he couldn't do it.

"You'll be alone, Sam. Any minute now, his soul will be mine, and his precious slayer will burn with him!"

Dean managed to wheeze out a few words from his spot on the table. "It's a trap, Sam. Don't listen to her."

"Now, now, no side comments are needed. Let Sam decide something on his own for once, shall we?" She advanced on Sam. "Or is that the real reason behind all this? You'll finally be free of big brother?"

Dean could be heard laughing from across the room. "You are one crazy bitch, you know that? Just let the damn hounds in already."

"You have it in you, Sam." She leaned up until her face was inches away from Sam's. "Kill me."

Something inside Sam snapped, and he swiftly wrapped a large hand around the demon's neck.

Dean felt Lilith's hold loosening, and he managed to lift himself off the table. He froze for a moment, locking eyes with Sam, before making his decision. "I'm sorry."

Sam watched in horror as Dean yanked the door open, allowing the hellhounds to enter.

Time seemed to slow as the hounds tackled Dean to the ground. He tried to be strong, but cries of pain tore past his lips. This was the end. He spared one last glance at what should've been Faith's face, but the demon in her just grinned in delight at his pain.

Lilith looked away from Dean's bloody form and raised a hand on Sam. "You could've been great, you know."

A flash of light engulfed Sam, but it disappeared as soon as it came, leaving him completely unharmed. He smirked. "I am great." With a twist of the hand, he yanked out Ruby's knife and plunged it deep into Lilith's heart.

Lilith's demon flickered and died, leaving a gasping Faith wavering on her feet. With one last gulp of air, she breathed out, "Him for me, huh?" Her eyes fluttered shut, and her body fell to the ground next to Dean.

Sam knelt down by Dean, lifting him into his arms. "Dean? Dean, come on."

Dean's fingers twitched briefly, reaching for Faith's.

"Dean! Please, wake up." Tears ran down Sam's face as he felt Dean's body go limp. "NO! No, no, Dean."

Dean's blood pooled around him, mingling with Faith's as it spread. The dark crimson liquid stained Faith's brunette locks, as her blood slowly reached Dean's outstretched fingertips. Sam's tears rained down on both of the bodies, but they were just engulfed by the deep red.

Somewhere far away, Sam's terrible screams could be heard as he wept over his personal massacre.

Lightning flashed through Dean's closed eyes, and he slowly opened them to see his hell. He could taste the cold copper of blood in his mouth, and yelled out in fear. "SAM!!!" Before he could shout again, a soft chuckle echoed through the abyss. He peered into the obscurity and caught sight of a mane of brown hair, matted with blood. "Faith?"

She smiled; the whites of her teeth hidden by darkness. An old memory ran through her head, and she ground out her carefully chosen words. "You didn't think your hell was private, did you?"

---Five months later---

Dean sat staring at a white wall, unable to move. For a non-private hell, he had only seen Faith one time in nearly 400 years. He could've sworn he caught sight of Bela once, though. He had heard her terrible screams, and looked just in time to see a man shut himself in a room with her. But now that he thought back on that, he probably had made it up.

Everything seemed too bright. The lights hurt his eyes, and the silence of the room almost drove him mad. He glanced over at the sleeping body in the bed next to him. Had she always looked that frail? He shook his head.

Hell hadn't been what he expected, that was for sure. There had been the generic fire and brimstone, but it was more than that. He tried to remember what had happened, but he couldn't figure it out. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was a never-ending hallway, covered with millions of doors.

A sharp intake of breath rung out through the room, and he forced his eyes to look over at the bed again. She still wasn't awake. She was trapped in her head with her memories, and more than anything he wanted to wake her. It wasn't fair that she could sleep while he was stuck like this.

Ever since he had gotten back, it had been like this. He'd sit awake, while she stayed locked in her head. Was it guilt that she felt, was that why she slept? He resisted the urge to laugh. She had nothing to feel guilty about.

She moved slightly, and again he hoped for her to open her eyes. He couldn't do this without her.

The crack of light in the doorway slowly grew wider as Sam entered the room. Sam was wearing a suit, and Dean couldn't remember why.

Sam set his large hand on Dean's shoulder and offered a small smile. "I know this is hard, Dean."

Dean couldn't comprehend why Sam sounded so sad. He glanced at the bed, and then looked back at Sam. "She won't wake up."

Sam nodded. "I know." He visibly swallowed as he chanced a look at the girl. "But we have to get going."

Dean was filled with confusion. "Where are we going?"

The taller man let out a loud sigh. "Dean, it's been two weeks. Just think about it."

Dean frowned and focused his attention back on the girl. Her hair seemed to be the wrong color. And she was moving far too much. "I thought she was in a coma."

Sam roughly shoved a hand through his neatly combed hair. "No, Dean. We've been through this." His voice took on a more frustrated tone, and it caused the girl to stir even more.

Dean reached out to touch her fingers, but he stopped short. Her nails had never been painted pink before. "But we escaped."

"I know." Sam needed back-up to help. He reached down to grab the girl's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Her eyes opened, and suddenly it all came rushing back to Dean. Those green eyes weren't who they should be, and it caused Dean's breath to catch in his throat. He frantically looked over to Sam. "Where is she?"

The girl with light hair and green eyes slid her hand free of Sam's grip and leaned over to Dean. "She's gone, Dean." She gently cupped his face in her palm. "Faith… she didn't make it. She's dead."

As Dean's eyes snapped to his brother, Sam gave him a nod of confirmation. "That's why I'm here, Dean." Sam took a steadying breath. "Her funeral is today."

It wasn't how it should be.

Dean let the past few weeks fill his mind, and he gradually remembered. Sam went to hell, and he found Dean… but Faith, she was beyond repair. Dean could see her blood staining the walls of the long hallway as Sam dragged her out.

She had lain there, in the same bed that the blonde girl was occupying; trying her best to hold on. Some red-head had visited, and did something with herbs and glowing lights. He remembers her saying something about a knife, and a roof, and being stuck in a time loop. None of it really made sense, but it all added up to Faith never waking up. Then came the blonde girl, who told him stories of hell dimensions and being torn from heaven.

It wasn't what he wanted, but it all fell into place.

He finally came back to reality and gazed at the mystery girl. "Buffy."

"Yeah, Dean. It's me." She slid her hand over his brow in a comforting motion. "We need to get ready."

Dean looked down at his shirt. When had it gotten that dirty? Perhaps more quickly than he should have, he yanked his head away from Buffy's touch. "This is your fault." He shoved himself out of the chair, not caring that it clattered to the floor. "You're the reason she's gone."

Sam inched towards him. "It's not Buffy's fault. If you wanna blame anyone, blame me. I'm the one that killed her."

Dean's eyes flitted between the two as Buffy rose to stand by Sam. He slowly backed up until he hit the white wall.

"No, Sam. If he wants to blame someone, he can blame himself." Her head cocked as she stared him down. "He's the reason she had to die in the first place."

Dean grabbed his head with his hands before looking back up to survey the room. The walls weren't white anymore. They were red. "No, this isn't happening!"

Buffy shared a look with Sam. "He's stronger than I thought."

Sam smiled, and Dean swore it had a hint of evil to it. "Not as strong as I am."

Dean shoved his fingers through his hair, shaking his head forcefully. "No, NO! Let me go! Take me back."

The room shook, and the walls seemed to almost bleed as the scene changed. He snapped his head up in shock as he took in his new surroundings.

"You're back."

Dean tried to turn, but found it impossible. There were hooks in his arms. "Where did I go?" Through the mass of chains and vines covering her body, he could just barely make out Faith's form.

She ignored his question, just dropped her head to stare down below. "Don't leave me again."

Dean remembered the hallucination, at least the part where he had escaped, and grew determined. "We have to get out of here."

Cackles of laughter rang out through the emptiness, and it was surprising that she could manage such a feat. Faith looked back up at him with hollow eyes. "There is no way out of here."

Dean watched as her chains suddenly flickered and disappeared, leaving Faith standing on some sort of ledge.

"This is hell, Dean. Might as well enjoy the ride." She tumbled backwards, falling deep into nothingness.

Dean tugged on his chains, only left with his thoughts to keep him company. There had to be a way out, he would find it eventually. Until then, he did the only thing he could. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "SAMMY!!!"


End file.
